Foot exerciser



H. S. GARTNER FOOT EXERCISER July 2, 1935.

Filed Dec. 14, 1933 m M WM m #7 4 f y. r

M. 0 H w Patented July 2, 1935 v Y Y UNITED STATES r'ArsNr-oFF c-EApplication December 14, 193$,Serlal No. M32550 3 Claims. .(Cl.leg-+57)- The invention relates to therapeutic devices for the outerarch, and the curve C to the longitutreating the foot. It has for itsmain objects to dinal arch.- If the foot is now moved back and provide adevice for aiding in correcting deforth, the exerciser will roll backand forth on formities of the feet, such as, for example, fallthe floorand back and forth under the foot.

5 ing arches; for aiding in strengthening and re- This imparts movementto every articulation in 5 I storing strained and infeebled voluntaryand inthe foot.

voluntary muscles of the feet; and for aiding in As previously said, thetread-surfaces of the loosening up adhesions and contractions,restorexerciser are provided with flat faces l2 and I3. ing correctarticulation of all the parts of the As these faces passover the floor,a vibratory mofeet, and stimulating circulation. tion is imparted to theexerciser, which motion, 10.

.Another object is to construct the device so is in turn, transferred tothe foot. This vibrathat various tendons and nerves in the leg will toiymotion is very effective in restoring circualso be acted upon andexercised. A further oblation, breaking up adhesions and generallyreject is to provide a device of simple construction, storing the footto normal condition. It was also which can be manufactured at a very lowcost. previously stated thatthe diameter of the flange These and variousother objects and advanis preferably made larger than the other treadtages will be readily understood from the folsurface. The flange beingof larger diameter, it lowing description and from' the accompanyingfollows that it causes its end of the exerciser to drawing of apreferred embodiment of the invenmove faster when the exerciser isrolled over the tion in which, however, modifications may be floor. Inother words, it causes the exerciser to 20 made without departing fromthe scope of the roll in a large arc and thus, at one extremity ofappended claims. In the drawing its movements causes the foot to toe-inand Fig. l is a side view of the exerciser, at the other extremity totoe-out. This is a Fig. 2 a front elevation, I very beneficial exercisefor all the tendons and Fig. 3 a top view of Fig. 2, v nerves in boththe foot and the leg. 25

Fig. 4 a plan view of a modified form of the ex- To particularlyexercise the metatarsals and erciser together with a base plate whichmay at D X t be of the feet is placed Oh the times be used with theexerciser, and enlargement l l, while the exerciser is in the posi- Fig.5 a cross-section of this plate taken on tion shown in Fig. 1, and theheel allowed to rest line 55 of Fig. 4. on the floor. The metatarsalbones will conform 30- Referring now to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, theexercisthemselves transversely to the curve of the ener is preferablymade of wood and in one piece, largement II. If the toes are now bentand but may, of course, be made or molded of any stretched, both theseand the metatarsal arch other suitable material. It is made in the formW be exe cised.

rests on a flange in formed at one end and on is p a d on t floor n theu ht p s t enlargement ll formed at the other end. The Shown in The teesar p d Over the flange I0 is preferably of larger diameter than Sp r obl4 and cupped around this knob the enlargement H. The reason for thiswill be with t a of pp t and ifting the exexplained later. The flange,as well as the tread eieisel' With the t s. 40 of the enlargement, isprovided with a plurality Referring HOW to Figs. 4 a d While the of fiatfaces 12 and 13. The object of these faces exerciser ordinarily is ddirectly on t e floor, will also be explained later. The roller iscurved in some instances, as, for mpl Whe the in a particular mannerbetween the flange and is covered with a Soft Carpet, the base pla e 4.5the enlargement, and a spherical knob I4 is 15 s u h p Whichis'prefelebly made '45 formed on the end of the roller. of the contourshown, is provided with two arou- .The exerciser is employed in thefollowing ated tracks I! and F8 in which the flange IQ is manner. Whenit is desired to exercise the whole guidede track 1 is used when theleft foot foot, the exerciser is placed on the floor l5, as s beingexercised d t a k l8 wh n th right shown in Fig. 1, and the user, whileseated or f is being exercis The base plate is else 50 standing, placesthesole of the foot on top of providedwith a socket H5 in which theexerciser the exerciser. When the exerciser is so placed ay be insertedt pp it in the Vertical D I that the outer side of the foot abutsagainst the tion shown in F g. 2.

flange III, the curve A is counter-conformative to While Figs. 1, 2 and3 show the flat faces H the transverse arch of the foot, the curve B toand I3 aligned on the flange I0 and the enlarge- 5 of a roller which,when laid on a flat surface, T pa ul y is the s, t x s r 35 ment I l,these faces may be staggered as shown on the exericser in Fig. 4. Theknob M, instead of being made integral with the exerciser, may be madeof soft rubber, or similar material, and secured to an undercut; boss20, as plainly shown in Fig. 2. The exerciser might also be constructedwith an inner recess in which, for example, foot powder might be stored,and the knob l4 used as a closure for this recess.

Having described my invention and its objects, what I claim as new andwish to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A foot exerciser of the class described, consisting of a rollershaped to form arches counterconformative to the arches of the humanfoot and having a traction surface at each end, and a plurality of fiatfaces formed on said traction surfaces for causing vibratory motion tothe foot conformative to the arches of the human foot and having atraction surface at each end, one of said traction surfaces made oflarger diameter than the other so as to cause the exerciser to roll inan arcuated path .when' manipulated by the sole of the foot, and aplurality of flat faces formed on said traction surfaces to impartvibratory motion to the foot when the exerciser is 1 rolled over a hardsurface. r

3. A foot exerciser of the clas's decribed consisting of a roller shapedto form-arches countere 1 foot when being rolled over .a surface by thevfoot, an enlargement formed on each end of the exerciser upon which itis rolled, one of said enlargements constituting an exerciserfor theball of the foot, a plurality of flat faces formed on said enlargementsto cause vibratory movement to the foot as the exerciser is rolled.

HENRY SIMON GART ER.

